Shower stall



Nov. 27, 1945. L. A. FALCO 2,389,724

7 SHOWER STALL Filed Dec. 27, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 avwm do 33 Wee/Mm Nov. 27,1945. A FALCO 2,389,724

' SHOWER STALL Filed Dec. 27, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 2i vi arwe/wbo't aw Patented Nov. 27, 1945 SHOWERI STALL Louis A. Falco, New Haven, Conn., assignor to The Dextone Company, New Haven, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application December 27, 1943, Serial No. 515,711

1 Claim.

7 This invention relates to stalls or cabinets such as used for taking shower baths.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a shower stall embodying notable improvements from the standpoint of simplicity of con- SllllCtlOn, ease of erection, durability, and. low cos Another object is to provide notable improvements in the upright wall structure of shower bath stalls, more especially in connection with the structure of the stiles used at opposite sides of the entrance or doorway.

A further object is to provide an improved shower stall in whichja very strong and satisfactory side wall construction isprovided notwithstanding the fact that thin wall boards are used, and to furnish a stall in which the requirements in the nature of metal fasteners and similar parts are reduced to a minimum.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the novel features and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and finally pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a shower stall embodying my improvements;

Fig. 2 is a top plan View, on a somewhat larger scale; and

Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6 are enlarged sections taken on lines 33, 4-4, 5-5, and 6-6, respectively, of Fig. 1.

In its general features, the shower stall selected for illustration comprises a generally square base or receptor ill of artificial stone, upon which is supported a relatively light thin-walled structure ll having stiles l2 at the front providing between them an entrance or doorway 13. There are two side walls 14, and a rear wall IE, but the top of the stall is left open to provide a top opening l6. Within the entrance [3 is provided a threshold IT.

The receptor i8 is preferably made of molded artificial stone of a character to provide a nonslip surface. This receptor is preferably made of the profile shown in Fi 4, there being a rim l8 provided around all four sides, the rim at each side being formed to provide at its inner face a shoulder l9 to aid in supportin the side walls, and the stiles and the threshold as well, there being inwardly of shoulder IS a horizontal supporting ledge 20 formed by the cementitious material of the receptor. Inwardly of the ledge 20, the receptor is sloped downwardly to form a basin part 2| in the middle of which there is a drain 22 of any preferred kind.

The side walls 14 and the rear wall 15 are preferably constructed of thin cement asbestos board suitably waterproo'fed and having a smooth surface. These boards or panels are held in place on the receptor in a manne'r't o be presently described. The rear wall I5 is connected to each of the side walls M in the manner shownparticularly in Fig, 3, there being inner and outer angle plates 23 and 24 of thin'gauge metal fastened to the wall boards by screws 25' extended through the board 15 and by screws 26 extended through each of the boards l4 The plates 23 and 24 run the full height of the stall. I v

In forming the stiles I2, sheet metal plates are used, runningthe full height of the stall;- these plates being connected to the corresponding side wall board [4 and extending laterally to form the side of the doorway or entrance openin |3. Each stile comprises an inner plate 21 and an outer plate 28, and, adjacent the doorway, these plates have an'interhooked' relation whereby they are prevented from being displaced relatively to each other, one of them having at the edge a turned-up flange or lip, and the other presenting a hooked portion in which the lip is engaged. In the particular form shown, the outer plate 28 is provided with an integral inturned portion 29 to provide a casing for the doorway, and adjacent its free end,this portion 29- is bent to form a hook 30 receiving a lip 3| bent inwardly from the plate 21 at its edge portion. As shown in Fig. 3, a screw 32 secures both plates 21 and 28 to the wall board 14, said screw having its head disposed inwardly of the stall and having a shank extending through a flange 33 on plate 21, through the board I l, and through a flange 34 on the plate 28. It is not necessary to thread the perforations through the flanges 33 and 34, for the screw 32, in being screwed into these perforations, will form threads therein. It is understood, of course, that a number of screws 32 are used, the same being at different points in the height of the stall.

The stile l2 rests upon the ledge 20 in the manner shown in Fig. 5, with the outer face of the outer plate against the inner face or shoulder IQ of the receptor rim. For securing the stile in place, an anchoring plate 35 is used in the manner shown in Fig. 5, a portion of this plate being provided with a hole 36 by means of which the lower part of the plate is firmly anchored in the cementitious material of the receptor while the upper part projects upwardly from the receptor so as to provide a space between the surface '19 and the outer surface of plate 35 in which the lower edge portion of plate 28 is fitted, after which the plate 23 is secured to plate 35 by means such as a screw 31. Other anchoring plates 35 are used for securing the side walls and the rear wall to the receptor. It will be understood that as each side wall I 4 is firmly anchored in position, and also the corresponding stile plate 28, the corresponding stile plate 21 will be firmly held from displacement by reason of the fact that at its outer part (Fig. 3) it is firmly held in place relatively to wall l4 while, at its inner part, is is firmly held with respect to plate 28 by the interlock provided by the parts 30, 3 I.

The threshold I! may be made of Wood and in the construction shown it is anchored in place by one or more of the anchoring plates 35 with which is associated a wood screw 38.

At the top, the stall is finished off by a rectangular finishing plate or crown 39 of sheet metal having side flanges 40 on all four sides. At the front, one of the flanges All is connected to the respective stiles by means such as screws 4|, and the remaining flanges of plate 39 are attached to the upstanding walls l4, I by screws 42 as shown in Fig. 4. The plate 39 provides a flanged rim which fits over the top of the stall and is attached to it in such a way as to provide means for holding and positioning the front and back and two sides of the stall, and this member provides a spacing member for the stiles in the nature of a bridge interconnecting their upper end portions, the bridge portion thus formed being indicated at 43. The threshold panel I! abuts the stiles in the space between their respective lower end portions.

The two metal plates 21 and 28, interlocked and arranged in the manner described, provide a very strong stile or front wall portion which acts as a reinforcement for the stall as a Whole. The part 29 of the plate 28 provides a smooth doorway or entrance, having no projections likely to snag towels or clothing or lacerate the skin of a person using the shower bath.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the invention provides a structure which is simple, inexpensive, and easy to erect. Notwithstanding the use of thin material used in the walls boards or panels, the structure is remarkably strong and resistant to strains and rough usage. It is also an. advantage that the upper wall structure is very firmly connected to the base or receptor and that a minimum of metal parts are required for the installation, those metal parts which are required being of thin gage. The corner uprights are of thin gage and yet possess the necessary strength. The corner uprights, which are used at the front corners of the stall, are connected to the side panels in the same manner in which the side panels are connected to the rear panel but, in the case of the uprights at the forward corners, lateral extensions, formed integrally on the uprights, provide a very strong and very satisfactory stile structure or casing defining the entrance.

It will be understood that the corner uprights 23, 24 are positioned on the ledge 20 and that the anchoring plates 35, used in connection with the rear panel and the side panel, have portions extending up through the ledge 20 so as to lie substantially against the inner face of the rim 18 as shown at the right of Fig. 4. Several of such plates are usually employed in connection with each panel.

While I have shown only a single example of the improved shower stall, it will be understood that other forms may be used and that various changes in the structure can be made without departing from the principles of the invention or the scope of the claim.

What I claim is:

In a shower stall, the combination of a side panel, plate members having flanged portions by which they are fastened to the side panel at opposite surfaces of the latter and having body portions extending laterally from said panel to provide inner and outer members of a hollow stile defining an entrance to the stall, said plate members having means adjacent the entrance to the stall whereby they are interlocked in hookwise fashion, a base member provided with an upstanding rim, a basin and a ledge between the rim and basin, said plate members being engaged at their bottoms with said ledge for support therefrom, andmeans including an embedded member extending upwardly out of the ledge for holding in place the outer plate member, said plate member being confined between the embedded mem ber and an opposite face of said rim.

- LOUIS A. FALCO. 

